India Announces Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series 

India has announced its squads for the T20I series in Ireland and England, bringing in some major changes after their 2026 T20 World Cup triumph. 

Most notably T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been dropped from the international setup, despite his achievements in the shorter format as captain. His drop has been allegedly factored by his poor form in IPL 2026 with the Mumbai Indians. Shreyas Iyer has been called up in his stead and has been handed the T20I captaincy.

“With regards to Suryakumar Yadav, obviously, it’s a tough one, having just won the World Cup, but as it happens, after most World Cups, we try and reassess what the best way forward is,” expressed Indian chief selector, Ajit Agarkar at the squad announcement press conference.

“Partly his own form, but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward. Like I said, Shreyas (Iyer) is a well-deserving candidate.”

With Yadav now 35, the reasoning behind the decision is sound. However, with a plethora of established players already in the T20I setup, with leadership capabilities such Ishan Kishan, or Sanju Samson, there are concerns as to bring in someone like Iyer to lead, as the 31-year-old has not played a T20I since December 2023.

“With regards to Shreyas, we have seen what he has done over the last few years, leading different franchises (in the IPL),” said Agarkar about the T20I captain’s skills for the role. 

“(He) won the final once, and from there a tougher season this year after a great start. We have seen everything (from him) that a captain can possibly (handle). His own performances have been really good.”

With Yadav having a win rate of 76.92% in 52 games as captain, Iyer will have big shoes to fill as the new leader in this well-oiled Indian T20I system.

Yadav’s omission however has given way for 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to receive his maiden senior call-up, now all set for breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 36 year standing record as the youngest debutant in international cricket. After a record shattering IPL season with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 776 runs, including 72 sixes, Sooryavanshi has established himself as the ultimate T20 batter, and this senior call-up was just a matter of time. 

“Vaibhav’s performances almost forced us to pick him,” said Agarkar on the youngster’s historic call-up.

“I know he’s young, but two IPL seasons in a row, and what he has done at the U-19 level speak for themselves. We can all see the kind of talent he possesses.”

Other notable additions in the squad have been bowlers Ravi Bishnoi and the uncapped Prince Yadav. The two have had impressive individual IPL campaigns with the ball, taking 27 wickets between each other for their respective franchises.

India begins its tour against Ireland in Belfast with a two match T20I series, starting June 26, before taking the short flight over to England for a five match T20I series, which will be followed by a three match ODI series, the squad for which is yet to be announced. 

Thus mark your calendars for June 26, for what may be in history in the making as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may become India’s youngest ever international.

India’s squad for T20Is against Ireland and England

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Schedule:

Ireland Vs India

1st T20- Friday June 26, Belfast, 3:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM EST; 7:30 PM IST)

2nd T20I- Sunday June 28, Belfast, 3:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM EST; 7:30 PM IST)

England Vs India

1st T20I- Wednesday July 1, Chester-le-Street, 5:30 PM BST (12:30 PM EST; 10:00 PM IST)

2nd T20I- Saturday July 4, Manchester, 2:30 PM BST (9:30 AM EST; 7:00 PM IST)

3rd T20I- Tuesday July 7, Nottingham, 5:30 PM BST (12:30 PM EST; 10:00 PM IST)

4th T20I- Thursday, July 9, Bristol, 5:30 PM BST (12:30 PM EST; 10:00 PM IST)

5th T20I- Saturday, July 11, Southampton, 2:30 PM BST (9:30 AM EST; 7:00 PM IST)

SAH will be present live in Belfast for this landmark occasion, bringing you the latest updates.

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